From TTRPG to LitRPG: How to turn your campaign into an interactive novel
Ever thought about turning your TTRPG campaign into a novel? If you’re a game master, chances are you’ve already built rich worlds, thrilling plots, and a cast of unforgettable characters.
With all that creative work, you're already halfway to writing a LitRPG! But how do you turn a complete, branching campaign into a narrative structure that works for a novel? Here's our step-by-step method.
Choose the right campaign
Not every campaign can become an interactive novel. Some work better than others — here’s what to look for:
- A strong narrative arc, with a clear beginning, development, and a reachable ending.
- Memorable and well-developed characters, specially NPCs.
- A consistent, immersive world the reader can picture.
- Meaningful choices that impact the story, just like in the original game.
If you used Tome, our storytelling software, to build your campaign, you already have a solid structure — complete with arcs, scenes, and chapters — ready to adapt.
Decide on the format
To turn your TTRPG campaign into a novel, you have two main options: the LitRPG format or a choose-your-own-adventure style interactive book.
While you might naturally lean toward writing a LitRPG, the interactive format can be a great choice if you'd rather give your reader more freedom—just like you do with your players.
A LitRPG novel, the linear format
A LitRPG novel is a classic narrative where the main character progresses through their quest using gameplay elements. That includes level systems, quests, inventory, and other mechanics commonly found in roleplaying games.
These stories are often written in the first person, making them ideal if you want to retell a full campaign while giving the reader the feeling of stepping into the hero’s shoes.
An interactive book, the Choose-Your-Path style
Want your reader to “play” the story and make decisions like your players did?
An interactive novel — like a choose-your-own-adventure book — is a great format. While it’s more limited in structure, you can include branching paths and multiple endings. It’s a fun format if you’re thinking of publishing or sharing your story online!
Restructure the story
Once you’ve chosen the campaign and the format, it’s time to adapt the structure.
If your campaign is already in Tome, you can simply duplicate your file and start editing the new version into a novel-friendly format.
For interactive stories, you can also use Tome's tag system to create branches and test how your reader’s choices unfold. A huge time-saver!
Add Lore to enrich the story
Just like you'd run a session zero to set the scene for your players, your reader needs context too.
Give them the Lore they need to understand the world: a epilogue, a few key worldbuilding pages, or even small explanations throughout the story. You can easily bring elements from Lore, our worldbuilding software into your narrative for a richer experience.
Adapting your campaign into a LitRPG or interactive novel is a great way to bring your GM work to life in a whole new format.
Whether you're doing it for fun, to share with friends, or to publish — your next big story might already be written… in your old campaign notes!
